LEBANON, Tenn.--12th-ranked Bethel out paces Cumberland at home to beat the Phoenix 65-53. 

Cumberland (8-14, 0-7 MSC) went 19-for-56 for 33.3% from the field and 5-for-19 from deep. The Phoenix gave up 18 offensive boards that translated to 12 points for the Wildcats. 

Ever Walker and Emaleigh Tarpley led the Phoenix with 16 points each. Tarpley went 6-of-9 shooting including a team-high nine rebounds. Walker went 6-for-15 and made three triples. Maddie Brillhart and Myajae Eubanks each added in six points.  

Bethel (19-4, 4-4 MSC) went 20-for-69 from the field and made 13 three-pointers. Bethel controlled the boards out rebounding Cumberland 48-42. 

The Wildcats were evenly distributed offensively led by Micah Hart with 10 points. Madison Hart, Mikee Buchanan, and Kalynn Howard each had nine points a piece.

Eubanks scored the first basket of the game for Cumberland down low to start a 6-2 run. The Wildcats went on a 7-0 run to get us to the media sparked by a triple from Simmons for a 9-6 Bethel lead halfway through the first. 

Colston and Tarpley each hit a layup, but Bethel answered each point to a 14-10 lead. Person scored down low to cut the game to two points, but the Wildcats scored the final three points of the quarter for a 17-12 lead. 

Both teams were scoreless the first four minutes of the second quarter. Kalynn Howard finally snapped the streak for Bethel with a three ball to start an 8-0 run. Howard hit another three in the spurt to force CU into a timeout down 25-12 halfway  through the second. 

Bethel pushed the run out to an 11-0 run before Gordon finally scored the first point of the quarter for CU at the three minute mark. The Wildcats scored three more points in the quarter nd Brillhart drilled a three for Cumberland to trail 31-17 at the half.  

Cumberland and Bethel trade threes to start the third. Walker hit the three for Cumberland to get the Phoenix going offensively. After that CU went on a 10-1 run as Tarpley hit a three for the Phoenix to get it to an eight point deficit down 35-27. Bethel hit back-to-back threes from Reynolds and Hart to get us to the third quarter media trailing 41-27. 

The two sides each added two points in the final five minutes of the quarter for Bethel to go into the fourth up 43-29. 

In the first five minutes of the fourth, Bethel outscored Cumberland 12-5 to push their lead out to 22. The Phoenix made a push late, but couldn't overcome the big deficit losing 65-53. 

The Phoenix will be back in action on Saturday at the Dallas Floyd against third-ranked Campbellsville.